Pope John Paul II

=== Aftermath ===
The death of the pontiff set in motion rituals and traditions dating back to medieval times. The Rite of Visitation took place from 4 April 2005 to 7 April 2005 at St. Peter's Basilica. John Paul II's testament, published on 7 April 2005,<ref name="Last Will" /> revealed that he contemplated being buried in his native Poland but left the final decision to The College of Cardinals, which in passing, preferred burial beneath St. Peter's Basilica, honouring the pontiff's request to be placed "in bare earth".

The Requiem Mass held on 8 April 2005 was said to have set world records both for attendance and number of [[head of state|heads of state]] present at a funeral.<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="CNN" /><ref name="Independent" /><ref name="BBCMiracle" /> ''(See: [[List of dignitaries at the funeral of Pope John Paul II|List of Dignitaries]].)'' It was the single largest gathering of heads of state up to that time, surpassing the funerals of [[Funeral of Winston Churchill|Winston Churchill]] (1965) and [[Funeral of Josip Broz Tito|Josip Broz Tito]] (1980). Four kings, five queens, at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, and more than 14 leaders of other religions attended.<ref name="CNN" /> An estimated four million mourners gathered in and around Vatican City.<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Independent" /><ref name="BBCMiracle" /><ref name="Beltway" /> Between 250,000 and 300,000 watched the event from within the Vatican's walls.<ref name="BBCMiracle" /> In a historical rarity, [[Protestant]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] leaders, as well as representatives and heads from Judaism, [[Islam]], [[Druze]]<ref>[https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/History/PapalVisit/Pages/Greetings_Pope_Benedict_XVI_religious_leaders_Galilee_14-May-2009.aspx Greetings by Pope Benedict XVI to religious leaders in the Galilee]</ref> and [[Buddhism]], offered their own memorials and prayers as a way of sympathising with the grief of Catholics.

The [[Dean of the College of Cardinals]], Cardinal [[Pope Benedict XVI|Joseph Ratzinger]], conducted the ceremony. John Paul II was interred in the grottoes under the basilica, the [[List of extant papal tombs|Tomb of the Popes]]. He was lowered into a tomb created in the same alcove previously occupied by the remains of [[Pope John XXIII|John XXIII]]. The alcove had been empty since John XXIII's remains had been moved into the main body of the basilica after his beatification.